To Amp, or Not to Amp ?

[Plock 0]

Well, I'm a total newbie to all these and I came across amps when looking for headphones.

 

 

So I've got a A-jays three and Sansa Clip+ and I was wondering if adding an amp will do any good?

 

If so, I was thinking of the Fiio E6. And then there is also the Madcap Penguin amps which look so friggin' cool.

But what's holding me back is the cost of the amps. (since my earphones don't exactly cost alot)

 

Hoping to get good advice from you guys

Edited November 12, 2011 by Plock

[dalethorn 0]

Well, I'm a total newbie to all these and I came across amps when looking for headphones.

So I've got a A-jays three and Sansa Clip+ and I was wondering if adding an amp will do any good?

If so, I was thinking of the Fiio E6. And then there is also the Madcap Penguin amps which look so friggin' cool.

But what's holding me back is the cost of the amps. (since my earphones don't exactly cost alot)

Hoping to get good advice from you guys

You really need to try one or more, because the results will not be consistent. Most amps will make a slight improvement, some will make a big improvement, and some will not improve things at all. In the last case it's not because the amp isn't good, it's just that sometimes the electronics don't match up ideally, and you can't be sure from the specs. If you search a lot of forums for your particular headphones, you may get additional info. If you find an amp that improves things with your current headphone, it may not help much with a different headphone.

[nekatrall 0]

You really need to try one or more, because the results will not be consistent. Most amps will make a slight improvement, some will make a big improvement, and some will not improve things at all. In the last case it's not because the amp isn't good, it's just that sometimes the electronics don't match up ideally, and you can't be sure from the specs. If you search a lot of forums for your particular headphones, you may get additional info. If you find an amp that improves things with your current headphone, it may not help much with a different headphone.

 

 

well said it depends on 2 factors also

1. ur taste

2. synergy of ur player amp and headphones

 

u just need to test

like i have cowon d2 + tf10p love the sound like tt but i have an amp just for fun to add more bass fiio e11

[dalethorn 0]

well said it depends on 2 factors also

1. ur taste

2. synergy of ur player amp and headphones

u just need to test

like i have cowon d2 + tf10p love the sound like tt but i have an amp just for fun to add more bass fiio e11

What I described above is synergy. But taste isn't a factor. What possible taste would you want in an amp except to cleanly and clearly amplify the sound? An amp is not a headphone - it should be a "straight wire with gain."

 

[alamakazam 0]

What I described above is synergy. But taste isn't a factor. What possible taste would you want in an amp except to cleanly and clearly amplify the sound? An amp is not a headphone - it should be a "straight wire with gain."

 

nowadays portable amp is mostly colored, add bass , add soundstage, brighten up etc

[dalethorn 0]

nowadays portable amp is mostly colored, add bass , add soundstage, brighten up etc

The irony then is that the price is lower, so the purchase is easier. But the colorations make the evaluation more complex, so the purchase is more difficult.

[Maniacal71 0]

The irony then is that the price is lower, so the purchase is easier. But the colorations make the evaluation more complex, so the purchase is more difficult.

Dale how nice to see you're here too, yeah i sat for hours testing amps and finally found the most neutral sounding under SGD300 imo the Ordnance .25, my other amp the X02 is colored but thats for hungry cans. I prefer to listen to my DT48 and DT48A direct without another amp, but to add the external DAC Ordnance.25 is still great and doesn't add much.

 

A little more expensive neutral Amp can be the AHA 120 from Just Audio.

 

IMO the Sansa is a bit soft, just put the internal gain on all the EQ settings, your A-Jays don't need much extra boost from an amp, they are sensitive enough for high volume listening.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Maniacal71

[bamboo 0]

My hp's specs are 24 ohms, 112dB, and the Clip+ can drive to high volume and I personally don't hear any difference between the Clip+ and E7.

 

I think most comparisons between amps in sighted test is biased. A blind test like this > http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showt...?t=54879&page=2 may produce fairer results.

 

 

[Maniacal71 0]

Yeah, the E7 does not amp much but adds lots of coloration, that was one amp i tested and didn't like at all.

[nekatrall 0]

yup most ppl want to amp to cleanly amplify

for me i just want to colour the sound even more ie add more bass

[Maniacal71 0]

Amplifying gets you more decibels on full-size HPs that have lower sensitivity and suspect that the bass is not getting enough power to perform as it does on a proper desktop, the IEMs are sensitive enough, what an amp does cleanly or with color is getting higher decibels albeit slight colorations, coloration is "Having timbres that are not true to life. Non flat response; peaks or dips"

So it would be fuzzy if the bass overpowers the other frequencies. Wonder why would anyone want to do that?

Edited November 13, 2011 by Maniacal71

[bamboo 0]

I guess it's just sound preference.

 

I thought my SR60 sounded better with my little dot II+ than it did with a neutral source, like the Clip+. It sounded a little "weightier" than with my Clip+. If I do decide to buy another amp in the future, it'll probably be a tube amp also.

[alamakazam 0]

I guess it's just sound preference.

 

I thought my SR60 sounded better with my little dot II+ than it did with a neutral source, like the Clip+. It sounded a little "weightier" than with my Clip+. If I do decide to buy another amp in the future, it'll probably be a tube amp also.

 

tubes have more color usually

 

try darkvoice, warm and creamy

[nekatrall 0]

well its really just a preference to add more thump to the music, but so far have not been fuzzy yet with my music

[Maniacal71 0]

well its really just a preference to add more thump to the music, but so far have not been fuzzy yet with my music

Well then it shouldn't be much of a problem there, as long as its not too much emphasized, a little colouration from a tube amp would be acceptable as it would sound dry, but then again the ultimate goal of a true Audiophile are is to listen to the most linear and purest form which is quite difficult to attain anyway imo. By listening to natural acoustic recording, you will notice that mids will always be the focal point and the highs and lows recessed in the background. Mid frequency are naturally more audible to human ears. Bass sound on a headphones should not have vibrations as compared to speaker bass, just the sound of say a 20 hz tone.

 

@Alakazam, Warm and creamy sounds nice, that's just how I like my cuppa kopi. LCD2 too laid back for my taste cos I want front row seats or to be with the band.

 

@Nekkrit, Thumping hmmm, have you tried fixing up the headphone amp output to an amp and a subwoofer? Actually thumping for me would point towards the midbass, if you EQ just around the 100hz region you would probably get what you prefer. Or just get Senns ii series, they all have that inherent.